There are a number of different methods that have been used by people who wish to carry an information source such as a book with them as they walk, travel, etc. Book bags and briefcases are frequently used for this purpose, but there are a number of more specialized solutions that have been devised. For example, Jarvis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,759, describes a combined book cover and book carrier whereby books may be carried by the user in the hand, on the wrist, over the shoulder or as a backpack. However using this method, the book is inaccessible while being carried and must be removed from the carrier before it can be consulted. This inaccessibility is a problem common to many of the usual methods for carrying books such as book bags or briefcases, all of which do not provide for access to the information contained within the book while the book is in the carrying device. Another problem with these common methods for carrying information is in the nature of the book itself, books often being made of paper unsuitable for use in poor weather, such as under wet conditions. Books are often difficult to use when it is desired to keep at least one hand free of the book for holding other objects. It is often difficult to turn the pages of books without use of both hands, and many books cannot be kept open at a given page without constant holding by the hands or by the use of a clip or other similar device.
Attempts have been made to solve the problems of difficult access, weather resistance, and the freeing of hands for other uses while accessing the printed material. Greene, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,933 proposes a “map mounting system for strap application”, which is an integral map holding and mounting system that allows a map or other printed matter to be enclosed within a holder and worn on a user's limb for immediate referral during activities such as skiing. The holder is adapted to display a map or printed matter such as a trail map under a transparent sheet of plastic. However the area available for display of the map or printed matter is extremely limited, the apparatus only being able to display a single small area sealed within the holder and with no provision being made for readily changing the page while under wet or otherwise adverse conditions. The strap, which is attached to the wearer and tightened by means of a buckle, makes it relatively difficult to take the holder off, put it one, or to reposition the holder from one part of the body to another when the wearer wishes to do so.
Seawright, U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,694 describes a foldable, weather-resistant reference guide for wearing on an arm, torso, or leg. The reference material it carries, such as a map, folds up when not in use. The reference material after folding is secured by a keeping member into a small packet which is secured to the user's body by a buckled strap. However here the reference material must be unfolded to view the data recorded on it, which is disadvantageous for convenient use. Furthermore, the amount of information that may be displayed is limited by the size of the single, folded surface. Also, the totality of information that the user might wish to access must be displayed on the single surface, and it is impossible to change one portion of the display without changing the entire display. It is also inconvenient under some circumstances to unfold a relatively large single sheet, for example under windy conditions. The means of attachment to the wearer also suffers from the defect of being difficult to don, doff, or reposition, requiring unbuckling and re-buckling, which can be a troublesome operation to carry out with a single hand if the apparatus is worn around a wrist.
Therefore, there is a need for a wearable book of pages that provides a readily accessible source of reference information that may be accessed under conditions when the user is also engaged in other activities or is under wet or otherwise adverse conditions, that is easy to don, doff, or reposition, that is attached to the wearer's body in a comfortable, secure way, and that is capable of providing a relatively large selection of images and information under those conditions.